


The Bet

by seriestrash



Category: Andi Mack (TV), Tyrus - Fandom
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-06
Updated: 2018-11-06
Packaged: 2019-08-19 13:38:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16535603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seriestrash/pseuds/seriestrash
Summary: The muffin bet and its fulfilment





	The Bet

After Andi rejects Cyrus’s request for help hanging signs for Buffy’s basketball tryouts, Cyrus asks TJ instead. Although truthfully, Cyrus had already planned on asking TJ anyway.

During recess Cyrus goes to meet TJ at the noticeboard like they had agreed upon via text. Cyrus is carrying a box full of posters, some are large and rolled up whilst others were smaller and stacked neatly. The larger ones were obscuring Cyrus’s view as he walks. 

“How many posters do you have?” TJ sounds surprised after he spotted Cyrus approaching.

“Only a couple dozen...” Cyrus pokes his head around the box to smile innocently at TJ. “Andi left me alone in Andi Shack and I got carried away making them.” 

TJ laughs quietly and takes the box off Cyrus and sets it down. Crouching beside it, TJ quickly looks through the different posters. “You know you could have just made one poster and copied it, saved yourself a bunch of time?” 

“I could of, but where’s the fun in that?” Cyrus folds his arms and TJ shakes his head with a smile. 

“There’s a lot of glitter.” TJ says as he brushes off some specs that stuck to his fingers. 

“Andi has _a lot_ of glitter, it was hard to resit.” Cyrus states with a nervous chuckle.

“So what’s the plan of attack?” TJ rises from his crouched position. 

“No plan, just hang them everywhere.” Cyrus says with a smile, “I really want Buffy to have a good turn out come tryouts.” 

TJ nods as he wanted the same thing. “Speaking of which, where is Buffy whilst we do all this free labour for her?” He jokes. 

“She’s working on drills to run during the tryouts.” Cyrus explains, “I offered to help with the posters so she can put all her energy into the tryouts.” 

“I bet she’s super nervous about them.” TJ says knowingly. 

“No way.” Cyrus shakes his head. “Buffy is the most calm and collected person I know. There’s no way she’s nervous about this.”

* * *

 

“There’s no way she’s not.” TJ argues lightly, “She’s starting up an entire new team.” 

“TJ, Buffy and I have been best friends since we were seven years old,” Cyrus coaxes his head almost in a cocky way, “I think I’d know how she’d handle something like this.” 

“Okay but as someone who’s gone through this before, I think _I’d_ know how she’d be feeling.” TJ challenges with folded arms. 

“From what Buffy tells me you were the picture of confidence running tryouts for the boys team.” Cyrus announces, “Albeit a little too confident...” Cyrus grimaces. 

TJ frowns and defensively questions, “Confident is code for awful right?” 

“No.” Cyrus shakes his head, “A little mean maybe..” 

“I’m mean when I’m trying to hide how I feel.” TJ almost snaps. 

“So you were mean to Buffy because you were nervous about tryouts?” Cyrus questions. 

“I was mean to everyone because I was nervous about tryouts.” TJ admits sheepishly, “I was mean to Buffy because I was a jerk.. I didn’t want a girl being better than me at basketball.”

“At least you can admit that.” Cyrus says encouragingly. “That’s really mature of you.” 

TJ shrugs it off as he’s still pretty embarrassed about his past actions. “I’m just saying I can imagine how she’s feeling.” 

“I respect that.” Cyrus nods. 

TJ watches Cyrus bite his tongue, “But you still don’t think she’s nervous?” TJ laughs. 

“She’s a rock.” Cyrus exhales, “I can’t.” 

TJ laughs softly. “Fine, shall we bet on it?” 

“What kind of bet?” Cyrus pricks up a brow. 

“Let’s say, if Buffy’s nervous I win and if she’s not you win.” TJ lays out the terms. 

“Okay and what’s at stake here?” Cyrus asks. 

TJ thinks this over for a moment and then settles on an idea with a smile, “How about a muffin?” 

Cyrus face lights up, “Yes! I want a muffin so bad!” 

“I thought you were able to get your own muffin now?” TJ gives him a quizzical look.

“I don’t get to school early enough, they run out.” Cyrus frowns. 

“But I showed you?” TJ raises a brow.

“I don’t like cutting in line.” Cyrus’s frown intensifies. “It feels impolite.”

“Are you calling me impolite?” TJ pretends to be offended. 

“No!” Cyrus says in an exaggerated way and it makes TJ smile.

“Okay, so if Buffy is nervous about the tryouts you owe me a muffin of my choice.” A smirk rests on TJ’s face. “I don’t care how you get the muffin, you just have to get it.” 

“Okay.” Cyrus agrees confidently, “And when my rock of a best friend is nerve free during tryouts you have to get me a muffin of my choice.” 

“You’re still going to want chocolate, chocolate chip right?” TJ asks knowingly. 

Cyrus pouts at the idea of being so predictable, “It’s just too good not to get!” 

TJ chuckles, “So we have a deal?” 

“Wait,” Cyrus adds quickly, “If I win, you have to get my muffin but you also have to wait in line for it.” 

TJ shrugs at this, “Sure, it’s not going to matter anyway because I’m going to win.” 

“Do not underestimate, Buffy.” Cyrus says with a pointed finger.

“We better hang these posters before lunch ends.” TJ swats away Cyrus’s hand gently with a laugh. 

“Just one step closer to that sweet sweet muffin.” Cyrus rubs his stomach with a delighted expression and TJ can’t help but laugh. 

## ➴ ➴ ➴

After Cyrus loses the bet he spends the week trying to find TJ’s ridiculous muffin request. After phoning around to a dozen places, Cyrus gives up on buying one and decides he’s going to have to bake it himself. 

“Blueberry macadamia?” Cyrus mumbles to himself as he walks through the baking aisle of the grocery store. “Why couldn’t he just want chocolate, chocolate chip like a regular person?” 

Later that evening Cyrus is home with all his ingredients laid out on the kitchen counter. The doorbell rings, knowing it would be TJ, Cyrus calls out that he’ll get it. Surely enough the captain of the boys basketball team is standing on the other side of the door with his signature smirk. 

“So you have something for me?” His cocky grin remains.

“Not exactly..” Cyrus laughs nervously and motions for TJ to come inside. 

The taller boy follows Cyrus into the kitchen and a laugh escapes him once he notices the ingredients all over the counter. 

“Wow, you're baking my muffin?” TJ asks. 

“I’m going to try.” Cyrus doesn’t look confident in his skills. “I called a dozen places and no one had blueberry macadamia.” 

“This should be interesting.” TJ chuckles as he sits himself at the counter on a kitchen stool. 

“You have no idea...” Cyrus lets out a nervous breath. “You’re not going to help?” Cyrus eyes TJ looking comfy in his seat. 

“You were the one that lost the bet, not me.” TJ laughs. 

“Fine.” Cyrus sulks, “But you’re the one that has to eat the muffin, not me.” 

“I have full faith in you, underdog.” TJ leans forwards on the counter, his elbows resting on the marble bench top. 

“Will you at least help me by reading the instructions?” Cyrus asks. 

“I think it’s called the method when baking but sure.” TJ laughs. 

Cyrus hands TJ his tablet which has the recipe open on the screen.

“Preheat the oven.” TJ reads. “Do you need an adult to help you with that step?” 

“Ha ha, very funny.” Cyrus says stoically and TJ laughs after finding himself amusing. “What now?” Cyrus asks after turning on the oven. 

“Use the electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Then add salt and beat in one egg at a time.” TJ reads. 

“Whoa, slow down.” Cyrus says looking at his empty mixing bowl. 

TJ rolls his eyes and dramatises his dumbing down of the method, “Butter, sugar, beat.” 

“Thank you.” Cyrus challenges TJ’s teasing. Cyrus reaches for the bowl where he had his butter and the bowl with sugar in it. 

The batter prep was going well in the beginning, Cyrus was following all TJ’s steps as he read them but after the flour blows up in his face during the mixing, the two boys get off track with their laughter eruption. TJ clutches at his sides as laughs and watches Cyrus wipe away the flour from his eyes. 

Leslie comes into the kitchen and stops the two boys before they could turn her kitchen into a crime scene with the food fight that was about to break out. TJ apologies and assures he’ll help clean up after Cyrus is finished baking. 

“Suck up.” Cyrus mumbles after his mother exits the room. 

“I can’t help that parents like me.” TJ shrugs with a chuckle. 

“What’s next?” Cyrus asks after wiping his face with a clean rag. TJ laughs at Cyrus’s hair still coated in the white powder but he doesn’t point it out. 

“Milk, but beat it on a low setting this time.” TJ gives a knowing look. 

“Noted.” Cyrus laughs as he sets the electric mixer to a low. 

The baking resumes as normal and the conversation flows effortlessly like it always does between the pair. Cyrus scolds TJ for eating the ingredients after he pops a handful of blueberries in his mouth. TJ tosses one of the blueberries at Cyrus and that food fight that Leslie prevented earlier gets under way. 

The two boys chase each other around the kitchen counter, flinging the ingredients they could get their hands on. 

“This is my favourite shirt!” TJ whines at the broken egg dripping down his shirt. 

“It shouldn’t be.” Cyrus teases and TJ retaliates by dumping the melted butter over Cyrus’s head.

“Okay, truce!” Cyrus finally calls out as he catches the butter dripping down the side of his head.

“Truce.” TJ agrees with a nod but he still looked like he was ready incase Cyrus was going to strike again.

“My mom is going to kill me.” Cyrus looks at the mess they made. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll help clean up.” TJ smiles. “But first, we should probably get these muffins finished.” 

“That’s if there’s any ingredients left to use.” Cyrus laughs. 

TJ sits back on his stool and wipes his face clean with a hand towel before proceeding to relay the remaining steps to Cyrus. 

With the muffins finally in the oven the two boys get to cleaning the mess they made. Cyrus stops for a moment to answer a phone call from Buffy. Buffy wanted to hang out and talk about Andi and the whole Walker situation. Cyrus explains that he’s busy right now with TJ but she can come over and hang out and they could talk later. Buffy declines and says they’ll talk at school tomorrow. 

“What was that about?” TJ asks once Cyrus hangs up the phone. 

“It was just Buffy.” Cyrus smiles. 

“Yeah, I gathered that much.” TJ rolls his eyes lightly, “She didn’t want to hang out?” 

Cyrus shakes his head. 

“Because of me?” TJ questions. “Is she still secretly mad at me?”

“No, not at all.” Cyrus insists. “She’s kind of going through a weird patch with Andi.”  

“Oh?” TJ is intrigued. 

“I probably shouldn’t talk about it, Buffy wouldn't like that.” Cyrus shakes his head. 

“She won’t find out from me.” TJ says. 

“I’ve heard that before.” Cyrus frowns. 

TJ frowns too, “I mean it, I won't say anything.” 

Cyrus believes TJ’s sincerity and decides to vaguely open up about it. “Buffy likes this boy that Andi used to like, or still maybe likes a little, I’m honestly not sure..” 

“So they’re fighting over a boy?” TJ doesn’t look impressed. 

“They’re not fighting so much as avoiding each other.” Cyrus huffs. “It’s complicated and I don’t really know how to handle it. I’m not used to being on the outside of a situation like this.” 

“You’ve been on the inside of one before?” TJ pricks up a brow. 

“Not exactly,” Cyrus shakes his head quickly as he realises he shared too much, “It was really different and I don't want to talk about it.” 

“Okay,” TJ nods after noticing Cyrus’s strong desire to avoid the topic. 

“What about you?” Cyrus asks. “You ever been in a situation like this.” 

“I can honestly say I’ve never liked any of the girls my friends have dated.” TJ laughs nervously. 

“What about Buffy?” Cyrus questions. 

“What?” TJ scoffs. 

“Come on?” Cyrus coaxes his head. 

“You think I like Buffy?” TJ looks disgusted. 

“You were mean to her and you said yourself you’re mean when you’re trying to hide how you feel.” Cyrus highlights. 

“Yeah and I also told you I was a jerk to her because I was caught up with a girl being better than me.” TJ says with a laugh at how ridiculous the suggestion was, “You really think I’m cliched enough to be mean to someone I like?” 

“You’re cliche enough to be threatened by a girl.” Cyrus pushes and TJ gasps. 

“Ouch.” TJ holds a hand to his chest like he’s wounded.

Cyrus laughs. “Hey, at least you’ve grown from that.” 

“Yeah and I’ve also grown from being mean to my crush in the playground.” TJ chuckles but then his laughter tapers off and he softens, “If I like someone I tend to be nice to them.” 

“Me too,” Cyrus frowns, “Like over the top nice.” 

“You’re nice to everybody.” TJ says with a small smile. 

“Maybe I like everybody.” Cyrus sways cutely and TJ points a grin at his shoes. 

The room falls silent for a moment until they’re interrupted by the oven timer chiming. 

“Muffin time.” Cyrus sings happily and the two boys move over to the oven. “Oh no..” Cyrus frowns as he opens the over door. “Something has gone wrong.” 

“Very, very, wrong.” TJ looks at the flat and sad looking muffins. 

“What did I do wrong?” Cyrus whines, “I followed the method perfectly.” 

“So they look different...” TJ tries to be encouraging although his facial expression was telling a different story, “Maybe they still taste okay?” 

“I feel like I should try it first incase I poison you.” Cyrus pouts. 

“No, I won the bet, I get the first muffin.” TJ smiles in an attempt to make Cyrus feel better. 

They carefully take the deflated muffins from the oven and place them on a cooling tray. TJ braves the warm muffin and breaks off a hot piece and pops it in his mouth, burning his tongue a little in the process. 

“Hot.” TJ fans his mouthful. 

“How bad is it taste wise?” Cyrus doesn’t look too hopeful. 

TJ swallows his bite with a crinkled nose, “It’s good.” 

“I don’t believe you.” Cyrus frowns and he goes to break himself off a bit of muffin but TJ swats his hand away. 

“No, they’re my muffins.” TJ says.

“You just don’t want me to see how disgusting they are.” Cyrus states knowingly, “You’re trying to spare my feelings.” 

“No, I like them and I want them all for myself.” TJ picks up the muffin that’s now cooled a little and takes a massive bite. Forcing himself to chew and swallow. 

“TJ don’t!” Cyrus tries to pry the muffin from his hand. 

“Yum.” TJ says with a smile. 

Cyrus finally gets past TJ and secures a mouthful of one the muffins, immediately spitting it out afterwards, “That is disgusting!” 

“You tried.” TJ grimaces. 

“I followed the method perfectly, how do they taste this awful?” Cyrus sets down the muffin like it’s just offended him. 

“I think you might have mixed up the salt and sugar.” TJ chews on his bottom lip. 

“I put in a lethal dose of salt instead of sugar?” Cyrus slaps a palm to his face. “I’m sorry, TJ, I’ll have to try again.” 

“No, don’t worry about it.” TJ rests a hand on Cyrus’s shoulder, “You came through with your end of the bet. Next time I’ll specify that it has to be edible but today you’re off the hook.” 

Cyrus pouts as he tosses the muffins into the trash but is thankful TJ is so understanding about it all. 

The following morning at school, Cyrus arrives with a new batch of muffins in hand, even though TJ left his house the night before insisting that he didn’t need anymore. Cyrus juggles the container as he texts TJ. 

**To: TJ**

> _I’m at your locker, where are you?_

**From: TJ**

> _That’s funny, I’m at your locker_

**To: TJ**

> _Meet you in the courtyard?_

**From: TJ**

> _Already on my way_

The two meet in the courtyard by the gym, it’s a place they hang out sometimes ever since their talk when TJ was suspended from basketball.

“Cyrus, I told you you didn’t have to make anymore.” TJ coaxes his head when he notices Cyrus’s container full of muffins. 

“I wanted to.” Cyrus pushes them across the table towards TJ. “And don’t worry, the salt to sugar ratio is absolutely normal. I tried one this morning myself to be sure.” 

“Well I hope you’re appetite is still good.” TJ says. 

Cyrus gives him a quizzical look and TJ reveals the chocolate, chocolate chip muffin he had been concealing behind his back. Cyrus’s eyes light up like a kid on Christmas morning. 

“But I lost the bet?” Cyrus snaps out of his muffin trance. 

“I felt bad because you were so disappointed the blueberry macadamia ones flopped.” TJ admits. 

Cyrus fails to hide his goofy smile but then he gives TJ a serious look. “Did you get this from the cafeteria?” 

“Don’t worry, I got here early and I waited in line for it.” TJ smiles. 

“You did that for me?” Cyrus looks proud.

TJ laughs. “It took forever and I almost missed out. I had to convince Becky from English that she wanted the bran muffin instead.” 

“Who wants the bran muffin?” Cyrus crinkles his nose. 

“Nobody.” TJ chuckles. 

“Thank you.” Cyrus accepts the muffin with a smile, “That was really nice of you, TJ.” 

“Thanks for making a second batch.” TJ holds up a muffin and the two cheers them like dorks. 

“I’m nice to everybody, remember.” Cyrus laughs anxiously after their eye contact lingered. 

“Don’t expect this to be a regular occurrence.” TJ scoffs also deflecting from their moment. “Waiting in line was torture.” 

“I shall cherish this muffin like it’s my last.” Cyrus jokes and the two go on with their morning sharing muffins and pretending like they don’t have feelings for each other. 


End file.
